Palette
by Teobi
Summary: A few more of these little bite-sized morsels. And many thanks to Baby Sue for the TEOBI dedication and inspiration! xx Love ya BS
1. Palette

_A drabble. My first..._

Palette

Look at them all. My brothers, my blood.

What colours would I use?

Scott. Cobalt blue, and black, and red. Dramatic, bold strokes soaring skyward with no hesitation.

John. pale yellow, indigo, mauve. Gentle, sweeping waves like the Milky Way, or a fleeting thought.

Gordon. Chestnut, sienna, emerald green, dappled sunlight on water. A dolphin splash of turquoise.

Alan. Hectic, frantic dabs of black, white, red, a compelling, distracting assault on the senses.

Myself. Tawny gold, and olive green, and a colour I haven't quite found yet.

Dad?

Every colour available-

the palette from which the rest of us came.


	2. Wrong

Sometimes a rescue goes wrong. A weakened structure, a collapsed bridge strut. A landslide, a flood, a howling typhoon.

Scott's voice screaming from Mobile Control, "Pull her up, Virg, get the heck outta there, now!"

I'll pull on the controls with whitened knuckles. People will die, but we have to get out.

We have the technology. We are fast, we have superior communication. We have developed an innate understanding of danger zones. Each of us has a different skill we bring to the table.

But we are not Supermen. We still answer to the elements.

Sometimes a rescue goes wrong.


	3. Troubled Earth

Look at her. That big, blue marble. Peaceful, serene, untroubled.

At least, from here.

Sunlight on oceans dazzles my eyes, lights in night cities sparkle like earthbound stars.

Size is irrelevant- she is huge, yet small. She is innocent, yet knowing. She has secrets, she tells me everything. She spins, but she's always there. I can reach out, but I'll never touch her face. She will always elude me.

We confide.

Look at her, silently imploring.

"I'm in pain. I'm hurting."

Tell me. I can help.

"I'm bruised, and battered, I'm tearing apart."

_Tell_ me.

We're coming.

Don't be afraid...


	4. Protective

My kid brothers are my world. Think I'm gonna tell them that?

Nah. Let them figure it out.

We nearly lost Gordon. Those were dark days, I couldn't sleep at night, I had dreams of water filling my lungs, waking in a cold sweat, unable to breathe.

Alan, the speed freak, God he worries me sometimes. Even as a kid, he cut corners, churning the wheels of his bike through gravel, landing on his ass.

I wince at the thought.

I can put my hands on their shoulders,

but one day they will be gone.

They are growing up fast.


	5. Scars

Under water, everything changes. Sound is muted. Colours are different- red becomes blue. Fish brush past, shimmering scales in sunlight. Coral, living and breathing. Sand creatures scuttling, kicking up clouds.

Break the surface, swallow air hard. Shake the water from my hair. Warm, like a blanket around me. The caress of tides.

My scars are fading, but memories linger. The water took me. It also saved me. Only those you are close to can do this. Pull you close and push you away.

Down again, to this world of limitless wonder, where scars don't mean anything.

Under water, everything changes.


	6. Dilemma

How do I love thee- let me count the ways.

Or not.

See, I don't even know if she_ does_ love me.

She makes my head spin, I know that much.

She can twirl me around her little finger.

I wish she wouldn't.

I can't twirl her around mine.

Do I impress her?

I don't know.

Does she think I'm a snappy dresser?

She laughs at my clothes.

She beats me at tennis, she thinks fast on her feet.

There is no point showing off to her.

But she will smile at me unexpectedly,

and she hasn't left me yet.


	7. Diversity

Lucille, can you see them?

Our eldest, Scott, as strong as a tree, crackling with restless energy, older than his years.

Virgil, so like you, artistic but with my iron resolve.

John, wisecracking and cynical, yet ethereal and addicted to the stars.

Gordon- jovial yet possessed of intensity, quite unlike either of us in looks; you used to joke about the mailman.

Alan, our baby, impulsive, impetuous, strangely vulnerable. The butt of his brothers' teasing.

Do you watch them at work? Strong arms holding broken bodies, lightning brains solving untold problems.

Lucille, I know you're proud.

Watch over us, Lucille.


	8. Full Circle

Jeff looks up, rubbing his eyes. Damn this paperwork, there's something I'd much rather be doing.

Scott is smoking a quiet cigarette. He is supposed to have given up. Virgil is painting, another awe inspiring landscape with roiling clouds and mountains. Gordon is in the pool. Where else would he be? Alan is in Thunderbird 3's hangar with Tin-Tin. Hopefully checking onboard systems, but one can never be too sure.

Scott sighs, takes another long drag. Then John's portrait starts beeping, a familiar warning. At once, there is movement. Scott crushes his cigarette, leaps to his feet.

Thunderbirds Are Go!


	9. John

"Calling International Rescue...calling International Rescue..."

A fractured voice, a plea for help. I strain my ears, crank up the sound.

Sometimes they babble- can't find the words. I have to calm them down.

It isn't easy.

"Can you speak up, sir. Where are you? What's the nature of your problem?" In blind panic they can't think straight.

"Trapped...building..."

"Where are you sir? Where?"

"International Rescue! Help!"

I have to get a fix on the coordinates, _quickly._

It's now or never.

They say in Space, no-one can hear you scream.

I hear it all the time.


	10. Scott

"The things I do for International Rescue."

I said that once. I meant it at the time. It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it.

All these words mean nothing, though, not when faced with this.

"What's the situation, Scott?"

"Pretty bad, father. There's debris everywhere."

Earthquakes are the worst. You never know what you're gonna find.

Thunderbird One lands. I thought I had a strong stomach, but sometimes it makes me gasp for breath.

You don't need words when someone needs your help. You just need a steady heart, and a strong hand.

I hope I have both.


	11. The Quiet Man

Their world is physical. Activity, noise, shouting, playing.

Mine is mental. Mathematics, physics, logarithms and computations.

They argue and run and annoy their father and joke and throw each other around.

I sit quietly solving problems and working on my new schematics.

There's a monumental difference between them and me-

I look in the mirror sometimes and wonder why.

But those thoughts don't last long.

I like who I am-

Without my knowledge they wouldn't be where they are today.

I'm a quietly confident man.

And the other night, while they were asleep?

I went skinny dipping in the pool.


	12. Don't Fuss, TinTin

Mr. Tracy, you drink too much coffee. Mr. Tracy, you're tired. Mr. Tracy, you shouldn't sit in front of the computer all day. Mr. Tracy, don't slouch like that, you'll hurt your back.

Lord, she fusses over me worse than Lucille used to- I can feel when her eyes are on me boring into the back of my neck. Yes I know Tin Tin, thank you Tin Tin, leave me alone Tin Tin, I'm _trying_ to work.

It's a game we play. If she and mother weren't here to fuss over me no one would-

and I couldn't bear that.


	13. Hot Heads

So there I am, quietly sitting by the pool, and bam- he comes over and starts an argument. Way to go John, dad sitting right over there within earshot. Nice timing!

You two, go and cool your hot heads in the pool.

What do you mean, you two? I'm not the one with the hot head. Man, can't a guy even relax around here? Listen John, blond hair and an angelic expression won't cut it with me. You might think this one's yours but I'll be back. Meanwhile, I think its time big brother gave you a _long_ overdue dunking!


	14. The Joker

One day I'm standing on an Olympic podium wearing a gold medal round my neck. Next thing, I'm wired up to a bleeping hospital machine, hovering at death's door so they said.

Funny how life can change so dramatically- funny the lessons you learn when you don't even expect it. I learned I had four brothers who cared about me more than anything in the world, and a father who'd have swapped places with me in an instant.

I love them more than words can say- they're everything to me.

So- whose toothpaste should I swap for haemorrhoid cream today?


	15. Musings Of A 21 Year Old

You know, even when I'm seventy, Scott will sit in a rocking chair and still call me kid.

Virgil will still tease me for not being as handsome as he is.

Gordon will still be my best (and worst) friend,

and John will still owe me those six hours.

These facts are a given. I'm safe in that knowledge.

But what about Tin Tin?

Will we be sharing iced tea on the balcony in the hot afternoons?

Will we be looking through albums of memories and laughing at grandchildren?

And should I even be_ having_ these thoughts at my age?


	16. Virgil's Lament

There are brief moments when I question what I do. I sit at the piano looking at my hands, studying the grazed knuckle joints, examining torn nails broken during missions, flexing the fingers, feeling grateful they're all still intact.

Music means everything to me. If I couldn't play, I don't know what I'd do. It seems to help the others too- I even see Scott nodding his head sometimes in tune with some soulful ditty I might be playing.

If anything happened to my hands, I don't know what I'd do.

Guess life will always be full of these trade-offs...


	17. Team Of Two

Alan and I were always together. Scott and Virgil were so much older they seemed out of reach, and John, stuck in the middle, always preferred doing things alone anyway.

We played together, fought together, but we always came back together.

We were a team of two.

Now there's Tin-Tin, and sometimes it bothers me that he listens to her first, but it's not my place to intrude on his happiness. She confuses him enough without my help.

But it's hard to watch sometimes. Alan and I were always together.

And I wish we were a team of two again.


	18. Tour Of Duty

Can you believe the nerve of this guy?_One month_, and I come back to find the place a mess with unwashed plates. Never _mind_ the state of the bathroom. I'd rather alternate these tours of duty with Gordon. At least he cleans up after himself.

Alan Tracy, if you weren't my brother I'd kill you!

What's this? Looks like a note.

"To John, I may have found a new star for you. Check these coordinates, see what you think. If it's undiscovered, it's yours. Love Al

Oh My God.

Alan Tracy, if you weren't my brother I'd _kiss_ you!


	19. Pep Talk

Dearest Jeff, you just won't relinquish control, although your son has grown up and is more than capable. I watch the frustration in your eyes and I see it in Scott's. Two Alpha males approaching the same situation from different directions, both determined to do things their own way, yet International Rescue is quite safe in _both_ pairs of hands.

The day will come when you can't do it by yourself. Scott helped you before, and he will do it again. Scott has always been there for you Jeff, he won't let you down when the time comes.

So _relax_!


End file.
